THE SUN THROUGH A TELESCOPE
The Sun Through a Telescope (TSTAT) is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist, Lee Neutron (LN). Having gained experience in a variety of Ottawa based bands, such as Daiquiri, Merdarahta, Street Meat, and HAMN, TSTAT represents an opportunity for Lee to take things in whichever direction he chooses. We touched base on his lyrical influences, the surprising template for his latest album, and his thoughts on the Ottawa heavy music scene.
VITALS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TSTATDroneDoom/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SunTELESCOPE
Latest Release: Black Hole Smile (LP, Mar 2017)
Web: http://www.tstat.org/
Upcoming shows: Stay tuned!
SA: How did you first get your start in this style of music? LN: Although I'd been playing in bands since about 14 or 15 years of age, I'd never really played in anything that could be classified as metal. Heavy music was what gave me the inspiration to learn an instrument in the first place so, upon setting out to do a recording project where I was playing all the instruments, my first thought was that, while I did plan on incorporating many different styles of music, I wanted the over-arching sound to be unmistakably metal.
SA: What bands or musicians would you cite as the biggest influences on your sound? LN: The self-titled debut by Jesu and Black One by Sunn O))) were 2 albums that were hugely influential on the initial TSTAT material. Lately, it's been stuff like Full of Hell, Nothing, Grouper, Altar of Plagues, No Joy.
The 2 bands that I probably look to the most and have done so for many years are Melvins and Skinny Puppy. Not just the music they've made but how they have chosen to present it (artwork, song titles, weird releases).
SA: Thus far in your career, what has been your biggest success? LN:Putting together a fairly-lengthy concept album like Black Hole Smile was definitely a huge undertaking. The fact that it sounds reasonably cohesive is, to me, a huge success.
SA: On the other hand, what is the biggest challenge you have faced, and how have you dealt with it? LN: The biggest challenge is the typical one of trying to generate interest in the music. Very tricky, especially since this can't be achieved through live shows. That basically means a lot of outreach to blogs and online zines such as yourself. I find there is a lot of support within the heavy-music-channels for independent stuff.
SA: I understand you play all of the instruments on the songs. How do you approach the song-writing process, especially when the songs can be quite complex? LN: I find that if I set up certain guidelines for songwriting and album concepts that this acts as a really good starting-off point for my own creativity. With regards to Black Hole Smile - I used an unreleased Beach Boys album (called Smile) as a template. Each song on my album is sort of a mirror (conceptually) to each song on Smile. So, before I came up with a note of music, I knew how many songs I needed and had a vague idea of what each song should entail.
SA: What are your thoughts on the Ottawa music scene, particularly regarding the style of music you play? LN: The scene here in Ottawa is really fantastic. Lots of well-meaning, ambitious people are making things happen.
With regards to heavier stuff, I find it's a little bit lacking lately (though certainly not totally lacking thanks to amazing bands like They Grieve and Swarm of Spheres). I'm looking forward to when this downturn shifts into an upswing. That's the way it usually goes. I think, before too long, we'll start seeing some really great, heavy bands coming out of the woodwork.
SA: If you had to choose your favourite moment off your latest release, Black Hole Smile, what would it be, and why? LN: I'm really pleased with the way the last song on the album (Whitehole/Brighthell) turned out. It's actually the first song I worked on for the release, reason being that I knew I had to come up with a "big finish" for what was planned to be a fairly lengthy musical endeavour. Once I felt like it had those qualities I was hoping for, I started working on the rest of the songs. There's also one track of screaming towards the end of that song where I basically vented a good month's worth of depression and anxiety. No lyrics or anything, just trying to be as guttural as I could. Felt good afterwards.
SA: With respect to your lyrics, which are sometimes shouted, screamed, sang & whispered: what serves as lyrical inspiration? LN: For this release, the lyrics and themes are somewhat inspired by the Manson Family and the events that took place in 1969 but from the point of view of a follower of his. That being someone who is coming from a bad situation, running from something, highly suggestible. Gets involved with a group. Everything seems great and idyllic. The reality being that they're being manipulated. At times, the lyrics specifically mention certain parts of the Family and the murders but, for the most part, the concept is pretty ambiguous and eventually deviates into its own version of the events. More related to the idea of being "in-too-deep", being cognizant of that on some level but shutting it out and ultimately reaching a point of no return.
SA: You’ve amassed a discography of 6 formal releases. Has your approach to writing changed, and over these releases, is/are there any specific song(s) that you feel best define TSTAT's sound? LN: When I listen back to some of the earlier releases, there are many moments when I cringe or shake my head. Yet, at the time, everything I was doing felt right and I was generally pleased with the results. I think that if you don't, on some level, hate your past releases after a certain amount of time has gone by then that's probably a sign that your days of artistic growth are done.
The song Living Every Single Hell on Black Hole Smile has a little bit of everything in it.
SA: What do you hope for musically in 2017? Our best wishes for your continued successes! LN: Just trying to get Black Hole Smile out there as much as possible. Most of my releases get put out fairly quietly but, for this one, I kinda swung for the fences so I'm really trying to get the word out. I've also got 2 other TSTAT EPs on the go. I'm hoping at least one will see a 2017 release but we'll see what happens.
Thanks so much for the interview! Here's to the continued success of SometimesAlways.ca!